Minas Gerais leads the ranking with the largest forest base in Brazil.
The state of Minas Gerais holds the first position in the ranking of planted forests in Brazil with 2.3 million hectares.
The leadership of Minas Gerais’ plantations represents 24% of the entire forest base in the country, almost double the planted area in the state of São Paulo, the second-ranked state with 1.2 million hectares.
The data are part of a groundbreaking survey conducted by the Minas Gerais Forestry Industry Association (AMIF – Associação Mineira da Indústria Florestal) in partnership with the Brazilian Tree Industry (Ibá) and other state associations representing the sector.
The company Canopy Remote Sensing Solutions was responsible for mapping and characterizing the planted forests in the 14 main Brazilian producing states (Bahia, Espírito Santo, Goiás, Maranhão, Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso, Piauí, Paraná, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, São Paulo, Tocantins).
This is the first time that such a survey has been conducted jointly among states using geoprocessing and integrated data analysis with classification by microregions and municipalities, in addition to the genus of species (eucalyptus, pine, black wattle, teak, paricá, African mahogany, etc.).
By: Canopy, AMIF, Ibá (2022)
Planted forests provide wood for industrial production in a renewable, sustainable, and certified manner, following national and international management standards such as Cerflor, FSC, and Chain of Custody.
Approximately 96% of these forests in Minas Gerais are composed of the genus eucalyptus, which gives rise to essential products for society. These products include charcoal widely used for steel, pig iron, and ferroalloy production in the steel industry (being a raw material that also solidifies the state’s position as a global leader in its production and consumption). Other products include paper and pulp, panels, sheets, laminated flooring, natural wood, treated wood, among others.
The diversity in eucalyptus use involves the production of more than five thousand bioproducts in segments such as food, medicine, cosmetics, biofuels, and even fabrics.
The survey considered satellite images collected over the Brazilian territory in the last 20 years. In Minas Gerais, the largest plantations are located in seven microregions: Capelinha, Curvelo, Grão Mogol, Paracatu, Pirapora, Salinas, and Três Marias.
In total, planted forests are present in 803 municipalities in Minas Gerais (94%). The ten municipalities with the highest production represent 25% of the entire planted area in the state of Minas.
The 10 municipalities in Minas Gerais with the largest area of planted forests in the state:
Municipality in Minas Gerais | Planted area (hectares) | |||
| Eucalyptus | Pine | Others | Total | |
| João Pinheiro | 102.356 | 0 | 255 | 102.611 |
| Buritizeiro | 79.191 | 2.851 | 0 | 82.042 |
| Itamarandiba | 70.464 | 0 | 0 | 70.464 |
| Lassance | 55.028 | 1.628 | 157 | 56.813 |
| Curvelo | 56.011 | 0 | 0 | 56.011 |
| Três Marias | 51.807 | 0 | 22 | 51.829 |
| Grão Mogol | 41.802 | 3.298 | 67 | 45.167 |
| Carbonita | 41.170 | 0 | 0 | 41.170 |
| São João do Paraíso | 26.732 | 72 | 9.433 | 36.238 |
| Minas Novas | 35.985 | 0 | 0 | 35.985 |
| TOTAL | 560.545 | 7.849 | 9.935 | 578.329 |
Crédito: Canopy, AMIF, Ibá (2022)
